Excerpt from the first chapter of The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment
“Hello?” he called. She wasn’t in the tiny dining area and the bathroom door was open. Could it be that she finally decided to leave on her own? That would be too good to be true. Of course, after his happy dance he'd have to find out if she had taken any of his valuables. But if the TV was still there, he was fine, as he didn’t have much else of worth. So if she had left on her own, that would be a good thing.
It was a comforting thought, but he didn't think it was true. A chill was crawling up his spine. Something felt off about the apartment. Home didn't feel like home. Safe didn't feel like safe.
Opening the bedroom door, he could see the curtains were open. The bedroom lights were off, so the whole room was tinged red by the neon. The bright slogan sequence across the street was about to begin. Jake could barely make out a figure on the bed.
“Oh, there you are-“ he started to say with relief. But he froze as the first white nom light came on from the sign across the street, lighting the room.
Jake thought the figure on the bed was Melody. He was half right. She was on the bed, but there was also another figure crouched on the bed above her. The sheets appeared to be darkly stained. What was going on?
The second Nom light blazed into existence across the street. Above Melody was crouched a madman surrounded by dark red. If there had been any idea in Jake's mind that he had walked in on an act of traitorous lust, it was immediately expelled. This room was filled with hate, not desire. The entire space was washed in violence.
The madman turned towards Jake, a horrible smile on his face. The smile was toothy and could have been almost goofy if his mouth didn't contain sharp teeth covered with something dark. Jake took an involuntary step back, but his limbs were otherwise frozen with fear.
The third light from the capitalized NOM lit the whole room like a floodlight. It illuminated blood on the wall, blood all over the bed, and blood on the madman who glared at Jake. The man was pale, his hair dark, and blood covered his teeth and hands. His eyes burned red with a rage of an intensity Jake had never witnessed.
This look was only for a moment, before all three lights from the sign turned off at the end of their cycle, abruptly returning the room to a near darkness mitigated only by the dim red neon radiance. Jake couldn't see the man pounce at him. He couldn't have known that the madman was lunging toward him. But somehow, he reacted. Some instinct made him shift his weight, turning his body so that it was a glancing impact when the man jumped at him. Jake spun and hit the floor while the man receded back into the darkness of the bedroom.
Adrenaline got Jake off the floor. He stumbled into the living room where there was light. The madman's blazing eyes looked at him from the dark bedroom, just barely glowing red. A voice like a screeching crow lanced out of the darkness. "Where is it? Where is it?"
Jake ignored the question until he had grabbed the first wieldable weapon from the kitchen counter: a large wooden cutting board. "Where is what?"
"Where is it?" screeched the voice, but this time it did not wait. A dark form leapt out of the blackness towards Jake.
Instinct prevailed again and Jake jumped away from the kitchen as the madman slammed into the kitchen counter. Jake turned and swung the cutting board. With dismay, Jake watched the board break in half as it hit the man's shoulder.
The madman turned and let out a screeching laugh. Jake stepped backward and slipped on the television remote which had been carelessly left on the floor. With an awkward twisting, Jake began to fall. At this same moment, the madman pounced across the room at Jake. Had he not been too busy falling, Jake would have been amazed at the distance the man could leap, as if he were a wild animal. Instead Jake fell backwards on the glass coffee table, shattering the glass and causing the table legs to crumple. This was in Jake's favor, as the feral madman sailed over him to slam into the wall on the other side of the room.
The madman had created a large dent in the drywall, but did not stay down. On all fours, he turned, revealing his own blood trickling from his forehead. As he growled, spittle mixed with the blood on his exposed teeth. Jake was dazed from his fall, but frantically tried to push himself along the floor away from the madman, never taking his eyes off his foe. Broken glass cut his hands and arms, but he managed to bump up against the home entertainment system that the television was set upon.
The madman trotted across the floor on all fours, surprisingly quick for a man. Using all his limbs to launch himself, he pounced upon Jake. His right hand grabbed at Jake's chest, grabbing a handful of Jake's shirt. Jake hissed in pain as he realized that the man's hands were covered with long claws, which had just gashed his chest in the grab.
"Where is it? Where are you hiding it?" screeched the madman in a voice that stank of blood.
"Where's what?" gasped Jake.
"Where is it?" squawked the madman. "Where is it?" The face inched closer and Jake could see much more clearly how his foe's bloody teeth were all sharpened to very lethal points. Jake stared at the madman as he desperately reached behind him for a weapon... any weapon. The madman kept up his screeching. "Where is it?"
Failing to find any real weapon, Jake's hands found the home entertainment system and the television's base. In desperation, he grabbed it and yanked forward. The still-on television slammed down on the madman's head. The television's glass shattered and there was a popping spark as it went dark. The madman dizzily fell off Jake and curled up on the floor. He began to howl in pain, almost like a dog.
Somehow Jake made it to his feet. His chest stung, his bleeding arms felt cold, and his legs ached, but he somehow pulled himself to his feet. He took a step forward and nearly fell over, his balance slipping. But he kept it together, knowing he needed to get away before the howling madman on the floor recovered. He made it to the front door, but encountered the next problem in his frantic escape. His bloodied hands kept slipping off the handle. Panic kept him at it and somehow he got the door open so that he could stumble out into the hallway.
There was a roar behind him as the madman returned to his feet. Jake turned and stumbled down the hall, more falling forward than the run he was hoping for. But that stumble was enough. A moment later, the madman pounced out of the apartment, thought this is where he made his own mistake. Dazed himself, the madman had hoped to tackle Jake but instead he missed and slammed into the wall across from the apartment door. The man once again howled like a hurt dog as Jake finally slipped and fell in front of a neighbor's door. Jake wanted to get back up, he wanted to run, but his fear and lack of blood was preventing him from doing anything but laying in weakness and agony. He was getting colder by the minute, his body slowly losing all its coordination.
The door Jake fell against opened up as someone peered out, causing Jake to half fall into their apartment. Some vague part of him wanted to apologize for getting his blood on their door. That person was not alone in wanting to know what was going on. Two other doors on the hall opened up, their faces peering out, but their security chains on the doors kept on. They stared at the bloody mess that was Jake and then they looked down the hall to see the madman.
That violent figure had been ready to pounce on Jake, continuing his assault and probably ending the fight with a bloody conclusion, but the man paused, looking from face to face of those at the open doors. Though Jake would have expected that such a madman would continue with his attack despite witnesses, the man changed his mind. Turning, he ran the opposite direction down the hall. With a leap, he crashed through the hall window that was past Jake's door. A moment later, there was just the newly loud sound of the rain and wind from the broken window.
Continued in The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment!
“Hello?” he called. She wasn’t in the tiny dining area and the bathroom door was open. Could it be that she finally decided to leave on her own? That would be too good to be true. Of course, after his happy dance he'd have to find out if she had taken any of his valuables. But if the TV was still there, he was fine, as he didn’t have much else of worth. So if she had left on her own, that would be a good thing.
It was a comforting thought, but he didn't think it was true. A chill was crawling up his spine. Something felt off about the apartment. Home didn't feel like home. Safe didn't feel like safe.
Opening the bedroom door, he could see the curtains were open. The bedroom lights were off, so the whole room was tinged red by the neon. The bright slogan sequence across the street was about to begin. Jake could barely make out a figure on the bed.
“Oh, there you are-“ he started to say with relief. But he froze as the first white nom light came on from the sign across the street, lighting the room.
Jake thought the figure on the bed was Melody. He was half right. She was on the bed, but there was also another figure crouched on the bed above her. The sheets appeared to be darkly stained. What was going on?
The second Nom light blazed into existence across the street. Above Melody was crouched a madman surrounded by dark red. If there had been any idea in Jake's mind that he had walked in on an act of traitorous lust, it was immediately expelled. This room was filled with hate, not desire. The entire space was washed in violence.
The madman turned towards Jake, a horrible smile on his face. The smile was toothy and could have been almost goofy if his mouth didn't contain sharp teeth covered with something dark. Jake took an involuntary step back, but his limbs were otherwise frozen with fear.
The third light from the capitalized NOM lit the whole room like a floodlight. It illuminated blood on the wall, blood all over the bed, and blood on the madman who glared at Jake. The man was pale, his hair dark, and blood covered his teeth and hands. His eyes burned red with a rage of an intensity Jake had never witnessed.
This look was only for a moment, before all three lights from the sign turned off at the end of their cycle, abruptly returning the room to a near darkness mitigated only by the dim red neon radiance. Jake couldn't see the man pounce at him. He couldn't have known that the madman was lunging toward him. But somehow, he reacted. Some instinct made him shift his weight, turning his body so that it was a glancing impact when the man jumped at him. Jake spun and hit the floor while the man receded back into the darkness of the bedroom.
Adrenaline got Jake off the floor. He stumbled into the living room where there was light. The madman's blazing eyes looked at him from the dark bedroom, just barely glowing red. A voice like a screeching crow lanced out of the darkness. "Where is it? Where is it?"
Jake ignored the question until he had grabbed the first wieldable weapon from the kitchen counter: a large wooden cutting board. "Where is what?"
"Where is it?" screeched the voice, but this time it did not wait. A dark form leapt out of the blackness towards Jake.
Instinct prevailed again and Jake jumped away from the kitchen as the madman slammed into the kitchen counter. Jake turned and swung the cutting board. With dismay, Jake watched the board break in half as it hit the man's shoulder.
The madman turned and let out a screeching laugh. Jake stepped backward and slipped on the television remote which had been carelessly left on the floor. With an awkward twisting, Jake began to fall. At this same moment, the madman pounced across the room at Jake. Had he not been too busy falling, Jake would have been amazed at the distance the man could leap, as if he were a wild animal. Instead Jake fell backwards on the glass coffee table, shattering the glass and causing the table legs to crumple. This was in Jake's favor, as the feral madman sailed over him to slam into the wall on the other side of the room.
The madman had created a large dent in the drywall, but did not stay down. On all fours, he turned, revealing his own blood trickling from his forehead. As he growled, spittle mixed with the blood on his exposed teeth. Jake was dazed from his fall, but frantically tried to push himself along the floor away from the madman, never taking his eyes off his foe. Broken glass cut his hands and arms, but he managed to bump up against the home entertainment system that the television was set upon.
The madman trotted across the floor on all fours, surprisingly quick for a man. Using all his limbs to launch himself, he pounced upon Jake. His right hand grabbed at Jake's chest, grabbing a handful of Jake's shirt. Jake hissed in pain as he realized that the man's hands were covered with long claws, which had just gashed his chest in the grab.
"Where is it? Where are you hiding it?" screeched the madman in a voice that stank of blood.
"Where's what?" gasped Jake.
"Where is it?" squawked the madman. "Where is it?" The face inched closer and Jake could see much more clearly how his foe's bloody teeth were all sharpened to very lethal points. Jake stared at the madman as he desperately reached behind him for a weapon... any weapon. The madman kept up his screeching. "Where is it?"
Failing to find any real weapon, Jake's hands found the home entertainment system and the television's base. In desperation, he grabbed it and yanked forward. The still-on television slammed down on the madman's head. The television's glass shattered and there was a popping spark as it went dark. The madman dizzily fell off Jake and curled up on the floor. He began to howl in pain, almost like a dog.
Somehow Jake made it to his feet. His chest stung, his bleeding arms felt cold, and his legs ached, but he somehow pulled himself to his feet. He took a step forward and nearly fell over, his balance slipping. But he kept it together, knowing he needed to get away before the howling madman on the floor recovered. He made it to the front door, but encountered the next problem in his frantic escape. His bloodied hands kept slipping off the handle. Panic kept him at it and somehow he got the door open so that he could stumble out into the hallway.
There was a roar behind him as the madman returned to his feet. Jake turned and stumbled down the hall, more falling forward than the run he was hoping for. But that stumble was enough. A moment later, the madman pounced out of the apartment, thought this is where he made his own mistake. Dazed himself, the madman had hoped to tackle Jake but instead he missed and slammed into the wall across from the apartment door. The man once again howled like a hurt dog as Jake finally slipped and fell in front of a neighbor's door. Jake wanted to get back up, he wanted to run, but his fear and lack of blood was preventing him from doing anything but laying in weakness and agony. He was getting colder by the minute, his body slowly losing all its coordination.
The door Jake fell against opened up as someone peered out, causing Jake to half fall into their apartment. Some vague part of him wanted to apologize for getting his blood on their door. That person was not alone in wanting to know what was going on. Two other doors on the hall opened up, their faces peering out, but their security chains on the doors kept on. They stared at the bloody mess that was Jake and then they looked down the hall to see the madman.
That violent figure had been ready to pounce on Jake, continuing his assault and probably ending the fight with a bloody conclusion, but the man paused, looking from face to face of those at the open doors. Though Jake would have expected that such a madman would continue with his attack despite witnesses, the man changed his mind. Turning, he ran the opposite direction down the hall. With a leap, he crashed through the hall window that was past Jake's door. A moment later, there was just the newly loud sound of the rain and wind from the broken window.
Continued in The Case of the Dead Girl in my Apartment!
